Disney launches £95K fitness app competition

A £95,000 competition to create a healthy living app using Disney characters has been launched by the media giant.

Disney has opened up a £95,000 competition in partnership with Creative England, to find a software specialist that can come up with a new app that uses Disney’s characters to encourage healthy living. It seems the media giant is looking to take advantage of the recent trend that has seen fitness related wearable technology and apps gain popularity with consumers.

The competition will seek to develop talent from outside of London, where strong competition in the capital to recruit software specialists has increased demand and resulted in a significant skills shortage. However, London continues to remain an international hub for tech and mobile expertise, due in part to the impressive amount of funding available from the government and accelerators.

A total of £95,000 has been allocated for the project and will continue Creative England’s drive to support creative and digital firms, with particular focus on startups and small businesses.

Furthermore, as the winning app will be released by Disney, it has decided to open up its intellectual property to all participants, which means developers and studios can base their pitches around any of the brand’s characters - from the classics like Mickey and Minnie Mouse to those from Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars.

“Disney is a company built on innovation and we know that the digital ecosystem plays a huge role in modern families’ lives,” said Matt Carroll, director of Disney Interactive UK.

“We’re really excited to challenge the local creative industry to come up with something that is at the forefront of cutting-edge technology – whether that’s a wearable tech or augmented reality – or an idea that’s completely unexpected, which will be used by families in the UK and beyond,” he added.

The deadline for submissions is on April 20th and three applicants will receive a £5,000 proof of concept grant, while one winner will net the £80,000 product development investment.